The feeding of ingredients and reactants to a processor, such as a chemical reactor, typically utilizes a container which typically stores the chemical feed material, and a pump that provides a metered amount of the chemical from the container to the site of application, such as the chemical reactor.
If a single drum of chemical reactant or ingredient is used, the drum periodically has to be replenished, adding new ingredient or reactant to the old ingredient or reactant remaining in the drum. This may be undesirable in the event of ingredients and reactants that have a short self life or are otherwise unstable. Alternatively, the entire container must be replaced when the ingredient or reactant contained therein is depleted. As such a container is replaced, or needs to be replaced, this can result in a time gap where no ingredient or reactant is being fed to the processor. This may be highly undesirable, because in various process lines and chemical reactions it may be undesirable to interrupt a constant flow of ingredient or reactant.
Also, it may be desired to add a second ingredient or reactant after a container full of a first ingredient or reactant has been depleted.
In all of these situations, it may be desirable to provide two, separate containers, which may contain either the same product or different products for sequential application, as desired.
It is of course known to control the administration of ingredients or reactants from multiple containers by systems which are electrical or electronic, and automated or semi-automated. However, electrical and electronic systems are expensive, and of course require the availability of a power source. Such processes may require a sensor of weight, flow, or the like, that communicates with solenoid valves via a controller for proper flow control. An electrical or non-electrical, automated system can include devices such as vacuum valve switches that can switch from a first to a second container, switching flow from a first to a second container when a vacuum develops in the first container. For example, vacuum switch valves may be routinely used in the delivery of beverages where the syrup from a bag is delivered to a machine, and the delivery system switches to a second bag when the first bag depletes. Such devices are particularly effective under high flow conditions, and where the container size is relatively small so that a partial vacuum that can be sensed develops quickly. Under low flow conditions, and larger containers (larger than 5 gallons), for example, such a system may not be effectively controlled by vacuum switching, since a vacuum pressure high enough to allow such switching may not develop in a timely manner, thus resulting in a disruption of chemical feed.
Manual switching of sequentially used ingredient or reactant containers of course requires the constant monitoring and intervention of an operator or technician to perform the changeover.
In accordance with this invention, a semi-automated system for providing the feed of liquid ingredients or chemical reactants is provided, where, preferably, the system is non-electrical, but which can provide sequential application of one or more ingredients or reactants from a plurality of containers to a processor, such as a chemical reactor or another processing device. The need for manual control can be significantly reduced, permitting the system to be left unattended for extended periods of time. Also, since each of the containers may be sequentially emptied before the next container is opened, product shelf-life management can be effectively maintained. Also, the system may be a low flow system, and may permit sequential feed of different products on a cyclic basis. The system also may be used where product package size is small, for example with sterile product for use in the medical field or elsewhere, with several different containers of ingredient or reactant being used within a short period of time.
Such a system may be usable in numerous, different market areas such as manufacturing, the food and beverage industry, (such as delivery of soda concentrates, ice cream mixes, and the like), boiler treatment, cooling water treatment, processed chemicals, waste water treatment, industrial and domestic water treatment, including swimming pools, the consumer market, and the medical field, as well as in various industries such as mining, pulp and paper, refining, primary metals, automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, energy, and the like.